WAUPUN — Dozens of residents attended the annual Waupun Waterway Cleanup last month, held the morning of September 20, 2025.
The Waupun Waterway Cleanup is an annual event where conservationists and residents come together to clean the Rock River as it flows through the Waupun area, organized by Protect Wisconsin Waterways.
Protect Wisconsin Waterways is an environmental protection organization that works with municipalities along the Rock River, with a mission to “remove pollutants and trash from our local parks and waterways, fostering cleaner and safer environments for everyone to enjoy!”
Waupun has hosted Protect Wisconsin Waterways since 2017, with organized outings held every year on the third Saturday of September. Department of Public Works Director Jeff Daane assisted in the efforts.
For the last two years, the Rock River in Waupun has been particularly low due to the broken bypass valve gate—allowing water to drain through the bypass and lowering the water level in the Mill Pond. Last year for most of the fall season, and this year briefly before the dam was fixed, the water level was so low as to only be in the riverbed, exposing mud from most of the pond.
Repairs to the dam were completed during the week prior to the Waterway Cleanup, and the dam had been fully functional for less than a day before the event. The bypass pipe is a 36in diameter pipe, with the valve open 4-6 inches to allow water through to maintain river flow until water began going over the dam.
As of the Cleanup, water was still over a foot below the lip of the dam—but is now flowing over the dam as intended. All of the items were collected and disposed of properly, or kept as souvenirs.
